Valentine’s Day: Top London restaurants you can’t book for love nor money

‹

iStock | Getty Images Plus

Wining and dining your loved one on February 14 in London's most exclusive restaurants is likely to involve saving the pennies and remembering to book the meal before Christmas.

The dining experiences range from top-end prices at Mayfair's finest eating establishments, to deluxe Champagne tasting sessions as well as the most luxurious chocolates for every dining couple to takeaway.

CNBC spoke to the top 10 Michelin-starred restaurants in London to discover what treats were on offer.

Sketch Lecture Room and Library – £200

Suzanne Plunkett | Bloomberg via Getty Images

Described on its own website as sophisticated and exclusive, this restaurant has two Michelin stars for its Lecture Room and Library dining area.

For £200 ($249) each, Valentine's Day diners can experience a six-course meal. The Lecture Room and Library at Sketch still had tables for last minute Valentine's Day reservations on Monday with the eatery promising each couple that "love not only lifts you to the ceiling, it also keeps you there."

Le Gavroche - £360

Jim Dyson | Getty Images

Chelsea's Le Gavroche is celebrating its 50th year of Valentine's Day service since it was first opened by the Roux brothers in 1967 and has been run by the founder's son, Michel Roux Jr, since 1991.

Valentine's Day at Le Gavroche is set to cost each diner £360 including wine, or opt for the £220 option, excluding wine. The seven-course meal has been eagerly anticipated by many Londoners as the restaurant has been fully booked from the end of January.

Dinner By Heston - £70

View Pictures | UIG via Getty Images

One of the U.K. capitals' most sought-after restaurants, Dinner by Heston is the eponymous flagship establishment of world-famous chef, Heston Blumenthal.

Head chef Ashley-Palmer Watts ensures the food meets the high standards set by Heston and the traditional evening à la carte set menu will set you back around £70, the average price for a three course meal at the establishment.

Greenhouse - £160

The Greenhouse

One of the other relatively competitively priced dining experiences of the top 10 restaurants in London this Valentine's Day is Mayfair's two Michelin-star restaurant, the Greenhouse.

Technically fully booked since the end of January as the establishment only allows 75 percent of the tables for reservations, some queuing early for the Valentine's Day experience may be rewarded with an eight-course meal on Tuesday.

Each diner would need to pay £160 for the meal and get half a bottle of Champagne thrown in. The menu has been specially designed for all of those attending the Valentine's Day themed evening. But the general manager assured CNBC that the most important thing to remember is that it would be the same chef, Arnaud Bignon, preparing the food.

Umu - £180

Jason Alden | Bloomberg via Getty Images

The Kyoto-inspired Michelin star restaurant in Mayfair has pulled out all the stops to attract the sweet-toothed diners. The sliding entrance doors opens as you place your hand on a nearby sensor and the Japanese restaurant invites diners to enjoy a six-course meal for £180 including Champagne.

Two of the courses are sweet dishes with an additional dessert available to all diners as they depart. There are still a couple of tables available for lovers of Japanese cuisine.

Marcus - £170

David M. Benett | Getty Images

Marcus Wareing's two Michelin-star restaurant at the Berkeley Hotel in Knightsbridge offers an eight-course meal for £170 to each Valentine.

With complimentary Champagne on arrival, the menu includes oyster emulsions and ginger nut cakes as well as chocolates to take away at the end of the evening. Couples can still book a table just hours before dinner is served.

Hélène Darroze at the Connaught - £295

PATRICK KOVARIK | AFP | Getty Images

One of Mayfair's top dining experiences, chef Hélène Darroze's two Michelin-starred French restaurant is offering a seven-course Valentine's Day dinner for £295 with complimentary Champagne plus a closely-guarded surprise for diners at the end of their meal.

The Ledbury - £115

Adrian Brown | Bloomberg via Getty Images

The west London restaurant is often polled as one of the top places to wine and dine in the world and has gained two coveted Michelin stars.

On Valentine's Day The Ledbury offers its standard à la carte menu priced at £115 per person. Alternatively, couples could opt for the tasting menu which would cost £140 each.

Chef Brett Graham and head chef Greg Austin both began their careers in Australia before moving to the U.K. and the restaurant's Aussie input is unmistakable. Diners would have needed to book at The Lebury shortly after the beginning of December in order to have guaranteed a table.

Alain Ducasse The Dorchester - £215

The Dorchester

Alain Ducasse's The Dorchester is one of only two establishments in the top 10 London restaurants for Valentine's Day to have received three Michelin stars.

Reportedly the relatively few people who are fortunate enough to be able to attend the restaurant are likely to see some familiar faces from the world of soccer on the next table.

On February 14 the restaurant is to offer a five-course meal for £215 which includes a glass of rose Champagne. However, the Dorchester can claim several wow factors and, if you want to splash out for Valentine's Day, there is an optional Dom Pérignon experience for two, which offers a bottle of 2006 Dom Pérignon Champagne and five courses for £590 - each.

The restaurant has been fully booked for two months in advance of the big day with Valentine's proving to be one of its most popular events of the calendar year.

Gordon Ramsay - £225

Stephanie Halmos | Patrick McMullan via Getty Images

World-famous chef, restaurateur and television personality Gordon Ramsay can boast three Michelin stars at his flagship Chelsea establishment with restaurant-goers forced to wait several months before getting the chance to attend.

Valentine's Day dinner service needed to have been booked from December to avoid disappointment and is set to cost each diner £225 for an 11-course meal.

Champagne on arrival and Valentine's themed surprises throughout the evening are guaranteed for every couple in attendance.